Process Specific Resources & Documents

Divisional and Faculty Registrar and/or Dean's Offices

Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering 
Faculty of Arts and Science 
Faculty of Dentistry 
Faculty of Law 
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Nursing
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto 
Faculty of Pharmacy 
Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education 
School of Graduate Studies
University of Toronto Mississauga 
University of Toronto Scarborough 

*NOTE: If you are a Graduate student, please contact the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Registrar's Office directly for assistance. 

Key Documents

Academic Appeals Committee Terms of Reference

The Terms of Reference spell out the Academic Appeals Committee's membership, function, and procedures.

Framework for the Divisional Appeals Processes

The Framework provides guidance for establishing divisional appeals processes and includes checklists and suggested best practices that allow for consistency and fairness across the University, while ensuring appropriate flexibility for divisions.

Notice of Appeal Form

The Notice of Appeal Form is part of a student's Notice of Appeal package required by the ADFG Office. Any appeal made by a student to the ADFG Office must include this form and be submitted in electronic format.

Policy on Academic Appeals within Divisions

The Policy on Academic Appeals Within Divisions sets out guiding principles, the definition of an appeal, guidelines for Divisions, the right of appeal, and implementation and monitoring procedures for appeals.

Practice Direction on Reconsiderations

The Academic Appeals Committee’s Terms of Reference provide that its decisions “shall be final.” Accordingly, requests for reconsideration of its decisions will not be accepted.

Dated: June 29, 2022

Hamish Stewart, Senior Chair
Academic Appeals Committee

PROTOCOL FOR REQUESTING ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITIES IN THE ACADEMIC APPEAL PROCESS

Overview and Scope

The University strives to facilitate the inclusion of individuals with disabilities into all aspects of University life, including in the quasi-judicial processes supported by the Office of Appeals, Discipline and Faculty Grievances (“ADFG”). This is achieved, in part, by providing reasonable accommodations that allow for participation regardless of an individual’s abilities.

In developing this protocol for accommodation requests, the University is informed by its legal obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The University is also mindful that accommodation is a shared responsibility and that, to be effective, the process requires the cooperation of everyone involved.

Reasonable accommodations for an individual with disabilities can be wide-ranging and will necessarily be context and case-specific. Accommodations may be physical in nature, including, for example, the provision of documents in accessible formats etc. Other types of accommodations are procedural in nature and require adjustments to standard processes, including, for example, the format of the hearing or an increase in breaks during a hearing.  The purpose of an accommodation request is to find a way to allow the person making the request to meaningfully participate in the process. 

This protocol has been specifically developed for the following quasi-judicial process supported by ADFG:

1. Academic Appeal Process, which includes hearings before the Academic Appeals Committee (AAC), which hears and disposes of appeals from decisions made by faculties, colleges, or school councils (or committees thereof) in the application of academic regulations and requirements.

Any participant in this process (party, representative, witness etc.) may request a disability-related accommodation in accordance with the procedures set out below.

Procedures

Seek the Consent of the Adverse Party

It is often beneficial to obtain the consent of the adverse party to a requested accommodation, as this can make the granting of an accommodation quicker, especially if the requested accommodation is minor in nature. In instances where the requested accommodation will have a material impact on the hearing, the decision-maker (usually the Chair for a hearing) will almost always ask for the other party’s position before making a decision about the request.

The consent of an adverse party to the requested accommodation is not, however, a guarantee that the requested accommodation will be granted in whole or part by the decision-maker, including where the requested accommodation will have a material negative impact on the efficacy of the hearing and/or where an individual with disabilities can be reasonably accommodated in a less intrusive way.

Making the Accommodation Request

Those with an accommodation request are encouraged to make the request as far in advance of a hearing as possible, by writing to the ADFG Office at adfg.admin@utoronto.ca.  Depending on where the case is in the process, the ADFG Office or a decision-maker, as the case may be, may be able to grant certain minor accommodations, without further inquiry, especially if the requesting individual has obtained the consent of the adverse party. If the accommodation request is likely to have a material impact on the hearing, the decision about the request will almost always be assigned to a decision-maker (usually the Chair of the hearing) for consideration. 

All accommodation requests should set out, in detail, what specifically is being requested and, in general terms, the basis for the request. It is not necessary to disclose medical diagnosis or medical information in support of the requested accommodation to the ADFG Office.

Since it may take time to assess and implement accommodation measures, an individual is encouraged to raise their request at the earliest reasonable juncture, and again, preferably having obtained the other side’s consent or position.

Responses to the Accommodation Request

A decision-maker or the ADFG Office will often be able to decide whether to grant (in part or whole) or deny the requested accommodation without further consultation or information. Decisions will be guided by the University’s legal obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

On occasion, however, a decision-maker may require additional information prior to deciding on the accommodation request. These include, but are not limited to, instances where the requested accommodation is complex or novel, or where it will have a material prejudicial impact on the adverse party or the decision-maker’s ability to conduct the hearing.

Where a decision-maker determines it is necessary, they may direct the individual requesting the accommodation to engage with one of the following offices, depending on the status of the individual requesting the accommodation:

Each of these offices will request medical documentation which substantiates the need for the requested accommodation, assess that medical information, and make an accommodation recommendation to the decision-maker on the basis of that medical information. These offices will not share a requesting individual’s medical diagnosis or information with the decision-maker.

A decision-maker may also seek further clarification from the offices set out above, including regarding the appropriateness of alternative accommodation which may have a lesser impact on the hearing process or adverse party, before making a final decision on the form of accommodation to be granted, if any.

Questions

If you have any questions regarding this protocol, please contact: adfg.admin@utoronto.ca.